carbsmart??

You've probably all seen it somewhere perusing the low carb web ... the carbsmart affiliate logo, or even that yellow and blue CS.  Carbsmart is ... err was ... an online retailer of low carb foodstuffs -- mostly the stuff we'd call junk foods.  For over a decade low carbers could order up their favorite goods from this outfit.  As many low carbers do still depend on some of these "frankenfoods", I actually have no problem with outfits like the former CS  filling their needs.  In my opinion this is "honest business" whether the founder and CEO weighs 180 lbs or 380 lbs.  CS was a "middle man" in such potential low carb frauds as Dreamfields pasta and similar products, and I hold DF's makers responsible for that fiasco.  I also have no problem with CS  advertising on websites and blogs with subject matter likely to attract potential customers.  I'm a bit more critical of same-said bloggers and website owners, especially more recently when these folks are making $$ off these affiliations, posting reviews that at least infer endorsement, but having long since altered their personal diets to avoid the very "candy cigarettes" they make money from.  It's a step up from making money from Google Ads for Medifast and Jillian Michaels, but not a large step in my book.

cropped - full picture link from Jimmy Moore Twitter

So why am I bringing this up?  Well, because CS has changed its mission, and now it is far more important who owns and writes for the outfit.  I tweeted on this, but after looking a little more closely at CS, I think this deserves more than a quick mention, especially considering the wording of the press release about the switch. You see Andrew Dimino founded the company in 1999 as an online retailer.  The picture upper-levt shows him with Dr. Atkins who died in April 2003, therefore it's likely around 10 years old.  Hardly a slim guy, but I've seen older (removed?) pics of Andrew on the web from pre-weight loss so he did lose some weight.  On his LC Conversations podcast with Jimmy last year, we learn his losses were about 50 lbs.  Pictures from the 2010 cruise showed an obese man, and upper-right is a recent picture from this month's meeting of Nutrition & Metabolism Society / American Society of Bariatric Physicians.   There's no tippy-toeing around that he's an obese man now.  For all the talk about LC and aging and health and all that .... no comment.  

So I learned of this latest development from long time affiliate Dana "fighting the LF lie since 1996" Carpender.  From the press release dated 4/16/12:

CarbSmart, the leading resource of information about the low-carb lifestyle and popular online retailer of low-carb products, is tightening its focus in order to bring the low-carb, diabetic, and Paleo lifestyles to more people who will most benefit from them.

On April 13, 2012, CarbSmart closed its online store and turned its focus to reaching millions more people with its message about the benefits of the low carb lifestyle. “We’re building a supportive community of people who successfully live the low carb lifestyle and help others learn how easy it is to do,” says company founder and president Andrew DiMino. The company’s goal is to reach 5 million new readers within the next 12 months by delivering honest, reliable information about how to live a healthier life through the low-carb, diabetic-friendly approach to healthy eating.

Ex-cyooze me?  Dimino himself may be successfully doing something related to low carb, but easily achieving a healthy weight ain't one of them!

“We’ve helped people from all walks of life learn how to eat healthier and achieve their ideal weight the low carb way,” says DiMino. “However, there’s more to be done and we’re ready to take the company to the next level to do it.”

How can he say that with a straight face when Amy Dungan, who also hailed the change on her website,  no doubt (or we'd have new after pics!) weighs substantially more than her before pic.  At least her 2001-2002 weight loss success story is not on CarbSmart, but it's the only one of her's still on her website as of this post. It's changed a bit hemming and hawwing ... but there's a whole lot of dishonesty in what's omitted here.

So to skip forward, I’ve spent the last several years doing my best to stay on plan and get back to that size 6. So far it’s been an elusive goal. I do well for a while, lose a good bit of weight, then life kicks me in the junk and I slowly fall apart. I’ve yet to find a fix for my stress issues. But I’m trying. And I’m making progress in small steps. I WILL see that size 6 again. And I’m still healthier than in my low-fat-someone-please-put-me-out-of-my-misery days, despite the extra weight. I’m still medication free, and still feeling very good, with the exception of minor flare-ups when I do allow myself the wrong foods. My self-esteem has also taken a hard hit over the years and I fight it daily. Especially with my failings being so public. Like I said in the beginning, I’m no one special. I’m not a guru or shining example. I’m just a gal trying to make it all work and sharing what I learn with others along the way. And I like bacon. Lots and lots of bacon.

1st before/after - direct image link

It's hard not to sympathize with someone who struggles, but it's also hard to grin and bear such deceit.  If you're bearing all in public, then tell it like it is.  Since posting publicly available pictures already got me booted from everywhere they can boot me from, I'll post some more here.  Not to waste too much space, just the original from 2001/2 and a pic of Amy & Jimmy from last summer's LC meetup @ Dana's house down below.  Skip forward indeed!  Let's not even discuss the 2007 weight loss, right?   

Successful?  Here's Amy's bio from CarbSmart:

direct image link

Amy Dungan is a low carber, writer and photographer residing in Illinois with her husband and two children. Having written for a variety of internet publications, she currently serves as Webmaster and Features Editor at CarbSmart. She also writes for Examiner.com and runs the popular Healthy Low-Carb Living website. In her free time she enjoys embarrassing her kids in public, spending time with her husband, and contemplating the true meaning of bacon.

So ...

The new CarbSmart press release continues:

The next level is to bring news of the low-carb lifestyle to everyone who can benefit from it. This is critically important according to DiMino who points out that in spite of the many diets and exercise programs now available, obesity is not beating a retreat. Instead, obesity is steadily on the rise with more than 35.7 percent of the U.S. population today considered obese compared with only 28.1 percent in 1999 when CarbSmart first opened its online store

Ummm ... so after the major LC boom in the intervening 13 years when no doubt DiMino's company made buku buckaroos serving 15 million people, the obesity rate has risen?  Do these people have no clue how unsmart pointing this out is??  Clearly it's not the carbs or the 15 million people would already be off the rolls of obese ... including DiMino and Dungan, right??

The company’s decision to close its online store and focus on building a strong, supportive, online community was the result of a lot of thought and research. DiMino, who admits to struggling with being overweight his entire life, started CarbSmart after successfully losing weight on the low carb diet popularized by Dr. Robert Atkins. DiMino was so pleased with his success with the Atkins Diet that he determined to make healthy, low carb foods more widely available to others who were seeking a healthier way to eat and manage their weight.

“Providing low-carb products is only the first half of the equation to winning the war with obesity,” says DiMino. “The second half is helping people obtain reliable information, so they can make educated, informed choices about which products are best for them, how to make the right diet choices, and how to easily make the low-carb lifestyle part of their daily lives, even when they’re working or on vacation.”

IS THIS GUY FOR REAL???  THIS is Andrew DiMino!  

What sort of reliable information is he going to be disseminating with the new magazine when he can't even be honest and upfront in the press release.  You read that and you would think he was at least winning the battle somewhat -- a la Jimmy Moore -- but no.  

Do these people have NO shame??

Apparently not.  :-(

And now back to Dana:

“CarbSmart Magazine will continue to regularly provide free, up-to-date and unbiased information about the low carb lifestyle,” says managing editor Dana Carpender, who is also a best-selling low-carb author and columnist. “We’re expanding our focus to cover such topics as how to be successful on a low-carb diet and how to control or eliminate diabetes. We also will continue to evaluate and report on the latest research and information about living a healthy life by eating low-carb, diabetic, and Paleo diets. We intend to report on how to eat healthy while traveling and provide readers with practical tips about how to incorporate healthy living into every aspect of their daily lives.” Carpender, who blogs regularly at HoldtheToast.com, adds that CarbSmart is developing video cooking demonstrations, webinars, and podcasts to provide information that will help the magazine’s readers achieve their healthy eating goals.

Unbiased?   If Dana weren't so open about using HCG, and taking several prescription meds for myriad illness she's been diagnosed with only in the past year or so (ADHD, PCOS) not to mention sleep disorders and whatnot, this wouldn't be disgusting.  But really.  Here's the new logo.  Trusted?  I report, you decide.

Over and out before I lose my dinner.